Welcome to the Skeleton Crew! A collection of odd trinkets of Technical Know How, Gaming Goodies, Weird Science, Carnal Knowledge and Various Resources, that I have stumbled upon in my journeys through cyberspace.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Okay I come across deals on the net here and there, some are scams others are ways for them to snag your email to send you crap, but some are legit, and if you use a garbage email addy like I do, you too can get some Free Swag. ;)

What's a PVR you ask. Oh it's simple, its a Personal Video Recorder. Thats right kiddies you can build your own TIVO without the monthly payments. The PVR uses open source programs like MythTV. Although, there are others out there on the net. Couple the software, with some minimum computer parts, which you may already have lying around the house, and you too can record the lost episodes of Little House. Here are some links to building it, as well as building a HTPC (Home Theatre PC's).

Okay for those of you that don't have a big screen or want a second one for the downstairs Home Theatre but don't want to spend allot. Here is just the thing. An article on building a sweet video system out of an lcd monitor and an overhead projector. Most of these parts can be found on Ebay for next to nothing and the whole project should cost around $300.00. Which is not bad to see the game or Lord of the Rings on your 20 foot wall ;)

Monday, April 25, 2005

I figured I would post some good Tech Mods I have come across on the web. Nothing like making Technology bend down and worship you ;)

Bluetooth up to a Mile Away Bluetooth is best known for short-range, low-bandwidth wireless jobs: connecting a cellphone with a headset or syncing a PDA or Phone with a nearby computer, but it can be hacked to boost its range up to a mile away, by replacing the standard antenna with a larger HyperGain RE05U 2.4GHz antenna ($15; hyperlinktech.com)

Building a BlueSniper RifleThe gun, which is called the BlueSniper rifle, can scan and attack Bluetooth devices from more than a mile away. The first version of the gun showed up at Defcon 2004, a hacker/computer security convention held annually in Las Vegas. Here is a link on how to build it, including plans and materials list. Check it out here. Once you snag a Bluetooth connection. Three of the most interesting attacks you can perform are:

Bluesnarfing, Bluetracking and Bluebugging.

Bluesnarfing is attacking the Bluetooth device, usually a phone, to rip out information. Hackers can obtain phonebooks, calendars and stored SMS messages.

Bluetracking is tracking a person's movement by tracking their Bluetooth device. All Bluetooth devices have a unique address, similar to a MAC address on computer network cards. By using special sensors or antennas you can see where a particular Bluetooth device pops up and record a person's movement.

Bluebugging involves sending executable commands to the Bluetooth device. With the proper software, you could secretly turn on a phone and make it call you. Why is this important? You have just turned the phone into a listening device that can record without your target knowing it.

CellPhone JammingCell phone jamming is illegal in the united states… but that doesn’t mean you might not be curious about how it is done, and it doesn’t mean you don’t secretly want one. :) So if you do, here is a link to a site that tells you how to build one. Check it out here.

XBOX HackingWith xboxes being so cheap, there’s no reason not to get one now-a-days and Mod it. There are allot of different types of Mod chips out there, but if you are like me and don't like soldering tiny contacts on your Xbox's PC board, you can go the soderless route. One of the best Xbox modding websites is Xbox-Scene. Check it out here. The solderless chip I went with uses pogo pins to contact the PC board, and can be turned on or off with a small toggle switch. Most chips today come with the legal Cromwell Bios installed on it. This BIOS allows you to flash the chip with another BIOS that opens up the XBOX, so that you can play backed up games, mp3's and video and other tasks that the XBOX wasn't meant to be able to do right out of the box.

Saturday, April 23, 2005

Okay Gentleman, Here is some nutty college type crap that I will probably catch some flak from the ladies for posting, but oh well ;) Sorry Girls.

T-shirt HellI came across this site awhile back and saw they had some new T-shirts and wanted to give you update. Some of these are bigtime funny, but they also have some offense shit, so be warned. Check out the wraping paper and the Baby t-shirts.Check it out here.

College HumorHere is a site that has some nutty videos, pictures, and humor geared to the perverted adolescence in all of us ;)Check it out here.Know The ToeWe have all seen it in one form or another. Celebrities have had it, our co-workers, the chick at the 7-eleven wearing the tight sweatpants ;) Well now here is a site to share those lovely moments.Check it out here.

More Stupid HumorThis site has allot of videos geared for the highscool/college level mind in all of us. You can see the moron who took a roman candle to the eye. The kid who ate dirt, as his bike made him do a tasty face plant...and much much more.Check it out here.

Virtual BartenderThis site I have already shown to some of you. It is a virtual bartending site on beer.com in which you can read articles, look at HOT women, and order all sorts of things from on online bar. Try out these keywords for starters : Banana, Pillow fight, Jumping Jacks, Kiss. Use your imagination the possibilities are fun. If you have no imagination then you can get more keywords here.Check it out here.

And lastly check this site out:

40 Reasons not to post your Pictures Online :)Check it out here. Its freaking funny!!!

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

There are allot of you out there that love music, but don't want to get a knock on the door by the RIAA or any other government officials. Well by using a program that captures streaming media. You can in essence capture music off of the internet for free. The two applications below allow you to capture high quality streaming music or any other audio that is played over internet radio. Best of all it is just like if you were to record a radio program with a cassette tape, like in the old days. So it is not illegal ;)

RipcastRipCast builds and organizes your MP3 collection with an easy to use interface. An integrated web browser allows you to browse for the type of music you like, and then you are fed one song after another from the genre and station you choose. Poor quality streaming audio is a thing of the past. Most of the popular broadcasters deliver CD quality digital streams. From techno to jazz to hip-hop or from rock to classical to pop. RipCast gives you access to a wide array of music tastes and genres from which anyone can download music they enjoy. Check it out here

Total RecorderTotal Recorder records streaming audio, Mic input, Line-in input as well as CDs and DVDs. The resulting files are saved on your computer's hard-drive. The system also allows users to schedule any number of future recordings! Check it out here.

Both programs are under 15 bucks, and well worth it considering you will never have to buy another CD again ;) Well only blank ones!

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

There a ton of useful applications spread across the net both online and for downloading, and allot of them are free. I wanted to highlight a couple that I liked in particular:

YagoohoogleThis site is pretty kewl, so I thought I would highlight it. It allows you to search Yahoo and Google at the same time. It splits the screen in half and has each search engine's results displayed in two seperate sections. Check it out here

YouSendItHow many times have you wanted to send a file to someone through email, only to have the email bounce back cause the attachement was too large for thier mail server to handle. YouSendIt solves this problem, by letting you upload up to a 1 GB file to their server for retreival by your receipiant. It is totally free and comes in handy when you need to get something to someone remotely. Check it out here.

SkypeSkype is for calling other people on their computers or phones. Download Skype and start calling for free all over the world. Check it out here.

IRCSpyAllows one to browse any number of IRC channels for goodies. Check it out here.

Free Shell AccountsHere’s a list of free shell acount providers with the link to their site followed by what operating system(s) they offer.

NO-INSTALL SoftwareThe one and only portal for portability. Where you will find software applications like Firefox Webbrowser, Thunderbird Email, Trillian instant messenger, Abiword word processor and many more that you can run from just about any removable media such as USB, CD-ROM, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, etc with little to no installation required. Check it out here.

Friday, April 15, 2005

Ever wondered who was watching your surfing habits. Maybe you are at work and downloading your favorite armadillo porn or just want to make sure you have privacy while you peruse the internet. Well by using my Favorite Browser Firefox and a little extension called SwitchProxy you can remain anonymous while going to the dark reaches of cyberspace.

SwitchProxy is a FireFox extension that allows you to ‘switch’ between anonymous ‘proxy’ servers at a chosen interval. Anonymous proxy servers allow you to mask your true IP address giving you an added layer on anonymity. Best of all SwitchProxy is free.

You can get a list of free public Proxy servers here. So run over to the links below and start downloading.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

This is a pretty neat application for a coffee pot. I have brewed beer and wine the conventional way, but wanted to check this out and try it at home.

What you will need to brew the beer:

An electric drip coffee maker with a water-heating compartment and a hot plate.

A wooden rolling pin (marble is too heavy)

One coffee filter

A saucepan, larger than 2 quarts

2 1-quart canning jars with lids

2 6-inch squares of cheesecloth

Two rubber bands

1/2 gallon filtered-not distilled-water

Brewing ingredients, from a homebrew supply store:

1 1/4 cups malted barley. You can use all "base malt," such as 2-row or pilsner, Or use 1 cup of base malt and 1/4 cup specialty malt(s), such as crystal or chocolate malt, which will provide added color and flavor.

5 to 7 hop pellets, which are the cones of the hop plant compressed into little nuggets. Hops add bitterness to the flavor of beer, and help preserve it. The variety is your choice.

1/2 packet of champagne yeast (or you can even use baker's yeast)

Before you begin: Make sure everything you are using is as close to sanitary as possible. Use a dishwasher if you have one. Set the drying cycle to heat dry with no rinsing agent.

Measure 1 1/4 cups of malted barley. Using the rolling pin, gently apply just enough pressure to the grains to crack them. You do not want to make flour.

Place the cracked grains into the coffee pot. Place 2 cups of filtered water into the coffee machine and turn it on. The temperatures of the water-heating chamber and hot plate-170 degrees F and 150 degrees F, respectively-are perfect for brewing! Let the coffee maker do its thing; it will keep the water/grain mix at a constant temperature for about an hour before it shuts off.

Strain the liquid through the coffee filter, and place the filter full of grain into the filter basket. Pour the strained liquid back into the water-heating chamber. Add 1 cup of water to the strained liquid in the chamber and turn the machine back on. After the liquid flows into the coffee pot, turn off the machine and pour the liquid back into heating chamber. Repeat five times, adding another cup of water each time. Keep a close eye to make sure it does not overflow.

Now you have a sugar-rich liquid called "wort" (pronounced "wert") Place the wort into the saucepan and get it to a rolling boil. After 20 minutes of boiling, add 5 to 7 pellets of hops, boil for an additional 30 minutes, then turn off the burner.

Stir until you have a whirlpool. This will pull leftover sediment into the center of the pot. Carefully pour the wort into the canning jar, pouring down the side of the jar without splashing.place the jar into a sink filled with cold water.

Let it cool until the liquid reaches between 60 and 70 degrees F. Screw the top on the jar and shake vigorously; this aerates the wort. Take the top off the jar and add yeast.

The jar is now your fermentation tank. Place a piece of cheesecloth over the top of the jar and secure it with a rubber band; the cheesecloth will keep stuff from falling in your wort, and the carbon dioxide produced by fermentation should keep out other contaminants.

Place the jar in a cool, dark place. You will have beer in five to seven days. Not to shabby!!

If anyone makes this stuff let me know and invite me over for a couple of pints ;)

Okay I am always looking for some good deals. We all know money doesn't grow on tress, well at least in my backyard it doesn't ;) So I have compiled some good deal sites I have found on the net for your shopping pleasure.

Most of you may already know about how kewl Google Maps is, but for those of you who don't you should check it out. Google Maps has a very slick interactive interface, coupled with a powerful mapping system on the backend. This combination makes Google Maps a winner in my book. The mapping software allows you to search for local hangouts, landmarks, and businesses, and then plots them on an interactive map. So far the only challenger has been Map24, an international system that uses an attractive Java applet, and which takes much longer to load.

Google has recently added satellite imagery to the mapping experience. You can search for famous landmarks and in most cases get a detailed satellite image of the location, all for free. Some areas are not yet mapped out and the detail limited, but it is still kewl to see your house or local diner from space ;)

Recently people have been hacking the mapping feature. myGmaps enables you to create, save and host custom data files and display them with Google Maps. You can read about it, and create your own customized maps here.

So visit Google Maps, and play around. I am sure once you do you will never go back to mapquest ;)

Surfing late one night I came across this interesting site. It is a must for all you conspiracy theory People like myself. I still say we didn't land a man on the moon, and that it is still made out of cheese ;)

The site allows you to link certain people at the top of the business food chain with each other. You will notice that there is a small number of powerful people sitting on most of the major company's board of directors and that they are linked. Makes you wonder about the whole Illuminati theory.

I may have showed some of you this already, but Google can be used to find all sorts of interesting tidbits online. Since it indexs everything on the web constantly, it finds many hidden directorys on web servers across the net. With a couple of thought out search strings you can find all sorts of things like free Mp3s, Apps, Movies, and Games.

Tired of paying for ringtones....Yeah who isn't. Well there are number of free ringtone sites on the net that offer all kinds of goodies in various formats for various phones. You can also turn any mp3 or audio clip into a ringtone as well. Imagine the possiblities there ;)Fun for MobileSmashTheTONES

SmashtheTones is a little more flexible. It supports more phones, including Sprint and Verizon phones, as well as other smaller carriers around the world, and It lets you use your own music and photos, rather than a predefined selection.

Well I just received my new $7.00 dollar Tech Solutions TS-1600 Strip-Cut Shredder from OfficeMax and I have to say I am very pleasantly suprised. I wasn't too optimistic for 7 bucks, but I have to say this thing is pretty solid. It shredded everything I have thrown at it so far without a hitch, and it is pretty well built. For anyone who needs a shredder and doesn't want to pay too much this definately fits the bill.

A River Runs Through it, Good Will Hunting, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, War Games, 2001 Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Star Wars, Alien, Sneakers, The Matrix, The Last Starfighter, Tron, I,Robot, The Bridges of Madison County, The Notebook, Saving Private Ryan, The Big Red One, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Apocalypse Now, The Good the Bad & The Ugly, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Breakfast Club

Spycraft, The Art of War, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Men With Green Faces, A River Runs Thru It, Lord of the Flies, The Singularity Is Near, The History of Video Games, The Fugitive Game: Online With Kevin Mitnick, I, Robot, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, V for Vendetta, The Stand, The Martian Chronicles, Dungeon Masters Guide